No Clue As Of Yet
by TwentyTawnyTigers
Summary: Ray is the daughter of a Burmese General in a world on the brink of WWIII. Will a trip back in time and into the book Elephant Run help convince her to make the right choices in the future? DO NOT HAVE TO READ THE BOOK:
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey everyone! This is the first fic in this category, I'm so exited! Anyways, this is a joint effort between myself and Liana Secret. I don't know how we'll manage to finish it seeing as it took us all day just to agree on the color of Ray's eyes, but hopefully this will be done by the end of the week. So, ladies and gentleman, may I present to you "THE STORY THAT WE STILL HAVN"T THOUGHT OF A NAME FOR AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SUJESTIONS THAT WOULD BE AWSOME" story;)**

**Chapter One**

North Korea never got along with South Korea after the Cold War when they split into two separate countries. The demilitarized zone prevented movement between the two counties, but still wild rumors ran rampant. Since nothing could be proved, it was taken to be fact and tension and hate grew. Then, when North Korea started developing nuclear weapons, the world got worried. South Korea followed North Korea's example, and other countries began stockpiling their own weaponry and building up their armies. The world was preparing for World War III.

My father, one of the top military commanders of our rather large Berman army, wasn't sure whether to side with the U.S.A backed South Korea, or the Communist North Korea. Both were promising large quantities of money and allegiances to our country. He often turned to me when he was unsure of something, to ask my opinion. But I didn't have a clue either; I didn't know much about politics, and this was a very important decision that I didn't want to mess up.

I paced in my small tent, back and forth, back and forth. How was I supposed to get more information? We were encamped on a small island in the middle of a river raging with the floods of spring. Father picked this spot for our small regiment because it was secluded and very difficult to reach. No one would think to look for us here. Sighing in exasperation, I found the small opening in the mosquito netting around my bed and threw myself on the lumpy mattress with a thump. I felt something digging into my back. When I pulled it out from under me I realized it was Elephant Run, a book Father gave to me for my fifteenth birthday last week. I opened it up to my spot, but couldn't concentrate on the words.

I was interrupted from my failed attempt at reading by the entrance of Father via the tent entrance, which scared the bejeezes out of me. I gave a little yelp before I realized who it was. Embarrassment made heat flood all the way to the roots of my long black hair and set of the green in my unusual blue-green eyes. My father gave me an exhausted smile. I always thought of my Father as a strong person, able to handle anything, but lately he seemed older. His black hair was streaked through with grey and his dark tan skin had fine wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. But he still had a radiant smile for me, even if it was a little worn out.

"Hello Sarae," he said tiredly. I untangled myself from the mosquito netting to give him a hug.

"How are things going with the mines? Have you found any more? ", I asked. During the last war between Burma and Japan, mines had been scattered throughout the jungle in an attempt to flush out remaining Japanese troops. Most of the mines had been dug up and neutralized by the Burmese government, but there were still some mines scattered around some of the more remote areas. One of our regiment's soldiers had almost stepped on one two days ago, and ever since Father and some of the men had been searching for others. So far he'd found about five, last time I'd check.

"We haven't located any more, but there is still the threat that one is buried beneath the soil. If we drive one of the Jeeps over one, it might explode. So-"

"Be careful where you walk and stay near the camp if at all possible, I know Father," I said immediately, having had the information pounded into my brain. His face broke into a wide grin.

"And tell that American boy that I let into the army on _your _recommendation to be careful as well. I know what it would do to you if he were to get hurt." He said gruffly.

"His name is James, Father. And he's sixteen; he can take care of himself. He's older than most of the new army recruits"

"I know, I know" He sighed. Father was angry about the new recruiting age. He said fourteen was much too young and that, _"In my time, you had to be at least eighteen, a real man, not a boy." _He was one of the only Generals who had opposed the new law's passing.

"At least he has the sense he was born with, unlike that other new recruit, what's his name…?" Dad's light eyes, the same color as mine, crinkled in confusion. I rolled my own eyes.

"I think I should make name tags for everyone. That way you wouldn't have to ask me all the time!"

"Don't be a smart aleck, Ray!"

"I'm just saying!" I scurried out of the tent before he could mess up my hair, a favorite tactic of his. I really hate it when he does that.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here you guys go, not that anyone is reading this or is likely to ever read this. Jeeze this must really not be a very popular book! I had to create a whole new category on fanfiction just to post this. Anyways, I'll put up a new chapter each day until this is finished. Have fun, we wrote this one long:)**

Chapter 2

"Hey, Ray! Ray! Wake up!" Someone shook my shoulder. I groaned really loudly, trying to get them to leave me the heck alone. But they kept persistently shaking my shoulder. I groaned, even louder this time. What time was it anyways? Slowly, feeling like my eyelashes were glued together, I opened my eyes. When they were fully opened I could see two things; that James's eager, impatient face was hovering by me, and that my big clunky wristwatch said that it was about one in the morning.

"What the heck James! I was sleeping! What is so darn important that you had to wake me up in the middle of the night!?" I whisper shouted. Even if I was awake, it didn't give me the right to full out shout at James and wake up the whole camp. That would be cruel.

"Hold you horses, Ray. You would have been even angrier if I had gone without you." He whispered in a calm voice. I hate it when he acts all mature. Grrr…

"Haru, the new recruit, woke me up and said that a herd of wild elephants are drinking from the lake in the middle of the island. I'm surprised nobody noticed them until now. The jungle may be very thick, but this isn't a large island. Anyways, they won't be there for much longer, so if you want to come you need to get up now."

I jumped off of the bed I was so excited, but of course I had to get stuck in the mosquito net. Five minutes later and a few hundred very inventive phrases and James had gotten me out. By then I was in a panic. What if we missed them! I didn't even bother to change out of my pajamas; I just shoved my feet into my hiking boots, grabbed my hiking backpack, and ran out of the tent with James.

We grabbed an impatient looking Haru-who had been waiting outside the tent-as we ran past. We weaved through the maze of tents, equipment, and fires until we made it to the edge of the forest. We stopped for a minute as James turned on his flashlight and I asked Haru how to get to the elephants.

"They over there, mile away," Haru said, jerking his head to the right as he tried to speak English. He wasn't very good at it though.

He only speaks a little English, but he probably assumed that since James only spoke English that I was the same. Fortunately, I speak English and Burmese fluently because they were the languages I grew up with. I took pity on him and switched to Burmese, much to the consternation of James.

"It's okay. You can talk to me in Burmese." We had begun to walk forward on a faint trail in the underbrush as I was talking to Haru. James had a _what the heck?!_ Expression on his face. He'd been born and raised in America until he was about seven. Then his father up and moved him and his mother here, to Burma. He never had a gift with languages, so everything we said was lost on him.

Haru shook his head slowly. "I can speak to you in Burmese," he informed me. "But then _he_ cannot understand us."

I smiled at Haru. It was very kind of him to continue speaking English for James, even though he had trouble with the language.

"Okay, English is fine too." I assented.

Feeling like an idiot, I focused on finding the elephants. I strained my ears, trying to catch the faintest noise of the elephants. I couldn't hear anything yet, but we were still about a mile away from the shore of the lake. My heart raced in anticipation. I loved elephants; I have ever since I was about two years old when my mother brought me to the zoo. I sighed. I missed my mother. She died when I was seven, so I don't remember much about her. But I can feel the hole that her passing left in our family. She was the loving, gentle light to me and my father, and I can tell that Father still loves and misses her, even after all of this time.

We walked for another half an hour through the dark jungle. Strange animal cries echoed through the damp night air and mosquitoes buzzed around and landed on my arms and legs. I tried to get them all off before they bit me, but I would defiantly have a few bites by morning. I couldn't put on any of the bug spray in my backpack because the elephants would be able to smell it. But a few bites are definitely worth the reward. Speaking of the reward, I could hear crashing and deep guttural rumbles up ahead. We were getting close. I motioned for the others to follow me off the trail and into the underbrush so we could find some cover. Talking now would alert the elephants to our presence. We crept the last hundred or so yards on our stomachs, drawing as little attention to ourselves as possible. We got to a log and stood up behind it. From there we could see the lake. It sparkled in the moonlight, its dark waters full of magical promise. Standing around the shore and in the shallows where almost ten elephants, their beautiful bodies swaying back and forth with their slow, majestic walk. Little ones frolicked in the water under the watchful eye of the herd's matriarch, and a big bull took a long drink from the lake.

I watched them in awe. They way they moved, the graceful march they walked, like they were almost one animal, like one cohesive unit…. I stood up slowly, unable to help myself. James hissed something at me, but I didn't truly hear him. "They're beautiful!" I breathed. I found myself walking silently forward before I crouched behind a tree to get a closer look.

I heard Haru suck in a sharp breath behind me. "Ray, look out!" This time I did turn around – in time to see a bull elephant rear up and stomp down in a warning. A warning for us to back off from the herd or it would _make_ us back off. In a rather painful way – as in we'd be dead. I began walking backwards with James and Haru. Slowly, we kept walking backwards. The elephant kept stalking forward, herding us away from the herd.

Problem is, we hit a log. We couldn't move any farther back. We all exchanged alarmed glances. We were cornered, the log behind us and the water to our right, and another log to our left. The elephant's eyes seemed to glow with fury. This time when the bull reared up, it gave an elephant roar. I felt the ground shudder beneath me as the bull crashed back to the ground. My heart beat pounded in my ears as it charged us. It rushed at us faster and faster, leaving a trail of flattened vegetation in its wake. Birds screeched and flew up into the canopy as the bull continued its charge.

I heard Haru mutter a prayer behind me, and James grabbed onto my hand. It trembled. It came closer, and closer. My vision blacked out except for a small circle focusing around the bull's eyes. They were so angry. And I was so afraid. The bull crashed into a cluster of trees, and was stopped momentarily by their immense size and thickness. I thought for a second that we were safe, that the bull would not be able to get to us and would just give up. My hopes were dashed, though, when the crazed bull started ramming its head into the trees. They groaned in protest to every hit. Haru was chanting something soft under his breath. It sounded something like,

"Great lord of the forest, leave us in peace. We just wish to pass through without harm. Please mighty one, leave us be." I grasped his hand with my free one, giving as much comfort as I could while falling apart at the seams. One of the trees finally gave, and with sigh, the giant fell through the air as if in slow motion. When it hit the ground the crash of breaking limbs was quickly followed by the boom of an explosion. A wall of sound hit us and flung us into the air. All I had time to think was that the silly elephant had hit a mine before I smacked against the water and drifted into oblivion.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This one is a shorty. I'll post another one too, so that should even it out:)

Chapter 3

_I was drifting in a black sea. Everything was warm and peaceful. I felt like I should remember something, but my mind felt numb. But it was a nice numb, like all of the troubles in the world didn't matter anymore. Maybe they didn't. I remembered a mine exploding. Bright wavering lights exploding in front of my vision. A shock wave hurtling me backwards into the lake. The pain of impact. And a raging elephant. I shivered and curled into a tight ball. The water around me made a nice swishing noise as I moved. It was quiet, dark, tranquil…. And my lungs burned from lack of oxygen. I unwound from my ball and started using long, powerful strokes with my arms and legs that ate up the distance between me and wherever it was I was headed._

_A light flared up beneath me, and a pull started. At first, it was just a soft pull, something I had no trouble swimming against. But soon the pull became stronger and stronger. I found myself being dragged down to the bright light glowing below. I tried to swim harder, but I was still being pulled down. My muscles burned in protest, and I began to feel lightheaded. I was being pulled down despite my efforts; a leaf in an unstoppable current. I clawed at the black water, but to no avail. I let out a scream as I was dragged down, but all that came from my lips was a cloud of bubbles and a soft gargle of sound. I was still going down, farther and farther, until I was bathed in the light. Everything was so bright, I couldn't see. Too bright, everything was too bright…._

_Then the pressure stopped, the light was gone, and I was free from whatever it was that was pulling me down. I coughed up tons of water until my thought was raw. I tried to see, but little black dots were dancing in front of my eyes. I collapsed against the ground, and slipped into the black embrace of unconsciousness._


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry if the last chapter was confusing. We might rewrite it later on, but I really like the way it is written. If you have any suggestions, leave a review.**

Chapter Four

I groaned and shifted uncomfortably. Some jerk was poking me in the back with a stick! What's with people these days and rudely waking people up at ungodly hours? I tried to tell whoever it was to go away, but it came out more like,

"Mur wah!" I swatted weakly at the stick, and rolled over to try and escape its incessant jabbing, right into some very cold water.

"What the heck!" I yelped as I shot up. Water dripped from my pajamas and hair, and I felt light-headed.

"That is what you get for falling asleep on the bank of a lake. What are you doing here young one? It is not safe to be around these parts. You look like something exploded in your face. Your hair and…pajamas… are singed. What happened?" The concerned, gravelly voice came from an old man wearing the robes of a monk; obviously the one who had woke me up.

"Well you see, an elephant knocked over a tree while trying to get at me and my friends which set off a buried mine. It blew me back into the water. It was probably left over from the wars between the Burmese and the Japanese. Do you happen to know where my friends are? One is a native Burmese years and the other is American, both of around fifteen years. They belong to my father's regiment, which is camped on the other side of this island." I was very worried about my friends. I was lucky enough to land in the water, but they could have been seriously hurt.

"Child, I am sorry. I have not seen your friends. But are you sure that a mine went off? I would have heard it, and there is no evidence of an explosion in the area. I have also noticed no army camp on this island. Did you hit your head maybe?" He seemed very concerned, but he had obviously gone crazy in his old age.

"How could you have missed it? It's huge. Here, I'll show you. Haru and James probably went back to camp to get help." Without waiting for an answer from the crazy monk, I jogged in the direction of the camp. Surprisingly, he had no difficulty keeping up. Who was he, super monk? After about half an hour I came to the clearing where the camp was set up. Only there was one problem: where once rows and rows of tents stood, trees now took their place.

"What kind of sick joke is this? Very funny James, you can come out now. I have no clue how you pulled this off, but I am in no mood for this!"

"See, there is no camp. Please sit down child, you look terrible." The monk pleaded.

"Thanks for pointing that out. I feel terrible! A mine exploded in my face, how do you think you would look after that? And stop calling me child, my name is Sarae!"

"It is nice to meet you Sarae, my name is Hilltop. Now please-"His voice faded into the background. Where had I heard that name before? Wait, could it be…He wasn't the same monk from my book Elephant Run? That would be impossible. Couldn't hurt to check though…

"You wouldn't happen to have a grandson by the name of Nick Freestone would you? And you definitely wouldn't be hiding with him on this island with his friend Mya and two elephants by the names of Hannibal and Miss. Pretty?" I expected him to look at me like I was insane, but instead he looked shocked. If he was indeed the Hilltop from Elephant Run this was an impressive feat on my part.

"How on Heaven and Earth do you know that?" He asked in a whisper. I smiled at the shocked monk.

"Well, it's quite simple really…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Hilltop listened quietly to me as I explained about the book Elephant Run, re-listened as I again explained about the mine, and heard me out about how I fell through the lake. At least, I think that's what happened. It's kind of hard to tell, since I passed out right after I was spat out by the lake. All the while, the skin where Hilltop's eyebrows should have been (part of the Monks' culture, you have to shave your head and eyebrows) kept climbing further and further up his broad and wrinkled forehead. Finally, he spoke.

"That is quite an interesting story," he said. Nerves and fear clenched my heart. Did he believe me? Or did he think I was a raving lunatic?

"Oh God, please tell me that you believe me!" I begged. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's all true, I swear!"

"I believe you," Hilltop said calmly. "How else would you know so much about what is going on?"

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, slumping back against a tree. I felt exhausted and I really wanted to sleep. But I doubted that I could do that right then. Even if I was able to, I think I'd just have nightmares. Its funny how you can be unconscious for a long while but still feel tired when you wake up.

"I must get back to Nick and Mya. The Japanese are still looking for them.... but you must already know that?"

"Yep," I replied. I got back up to my feet and stretched. Man, I was stiff! Maybe that could keep me from falling asleep....

Hilltop had been moving while I was stretching. He paused and looked back at me.

"Sarae, are you coming? We must reach the other end of the island before morning." He gestured to the graying sky.

"Oh! Sorry!" I said, my cheeks burning. I thought he had meant for me to stay here. I had to jog to catch up to Hilltop. For an old monk he moves really fast!

We walked (he walked, I jogged) for about ten minutes before I saw a small fire in the distance. As we got closer, it burned brighter and brighter. I stepped through the tree line to find two people around a fire no bigger than a camp stove fire.

One of them was a boy, who stood up. I connected two and two and realized it had to be Nick Freestone. Hard to tell though, because he had no eyebrows or hair; it had all been shaved off in an attempt to make them look like monk novices to hide them on the journey to free Nick's father. I could still see where they were supposed to be though. The skin was lighter there than everywhere else. His bright green eyes matched the description though. He was wearing monk robes and had simple sandals on his feet. He was really actually kind of.... cute.

The girl, who I presumed was Mya, jolted to her feet when she noticed Hilltop had me in tow. She wasn't described enough in the book; they missed out the sparkle in her dark eyes, they way she held herself and how she could look really scary and beautiful at the same time when she's ticked off. Even without any hair.

"Hilltop!" Nick exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at me. Mya backed that with her own glare. "Who is this?!"

"This," Hilltop said slowly, "is Sarae. She was thrust here from her own time by a mine that exploded."

Great, they were looking at me like I was some crazy hooligan. I knew how I must have looked; my hair was scorched in a big chunk on one side, which later when I cut it made it so that my long hair was incredibly short. My pajamas were a basic green army T-shirt and pants. The pants had a big hole burned out of one side, and the skin underneath had, at most, first degree burns - which is really lucky, all things considered. I must have looked like a total psycho.

"What are you saying, Hilltop?" Mya asked.

"That she's from the future?"

"That's exactly what he's saying," I replied, and tried to hold Mya's glare. It was like staring into a tigress's eyes as she grows more and more agitated and starts thinking about killing you. I tried to hold her gaze, but my own wavered and fell.

"That's impossible," Nick said. I lifted my eyes, and spoke in Burmese.

"Is it really?" I asked, before switching back to English. I thought quickly of something I shouldn't have known that was said in the book.

"You wondered why Colonel Nagayoshi wouldn't let you read your mother's letters, when all they contained was a worried mother's concern for her only son." I had to smirk as Nick's mouth dropped open.

"How did you know..." he started.

"As I said, I'm not from this time..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"I don't believe a word of it," Mya announced as soon as I was done explaining. I shrugged.

"Believe it or not, that's what happened," I said.

"It's insane," Nick said, shaking his head. "We can't be from a _book_! We're here now, and alive!"

"I don't know how this works, okay! All I know is that it did! Your probably just a parallel universe or something. There's supposed to be one for every different possibility, right?!" My anger was going through the roof at this point.

"You think I want to believe it? Because if you do, then you're the insane one! All I want to do is go home! Might I remind you, World War III is about to start and all of my family and friends are going to be caught in the middle of it. And with all of the nuclear missiles, it makes it really deadly for us! I need to get back to my sector of the army to get prepared!"

"What are nuclear missiles?" Hilltop asked. I groped around in my head for a suitable answer for the deadly bombs.

"A nuclear missile or bomb is an explosive device that gets its destructive force from nuclear reactions. Once it is set of, chemical reactions release huge amounts of energy from only a small amount of matter. A nuclear bomb weighing around a thousand kilograms can cause an explosion of about the same force as more than a billion kilograms of normal high explosives. Basically, they can completely destroy an entire city by blast, fire and radiation and kill hundreds of thousands of people in seconds." I cringed as I explained. It made the people of the future seem even more deadly and brutal.

"Who in their right minds would make that?" Mya demanded.

"You'll see at the end of this war," I said wearily. "America is going to drop two on Japan to end World War II. Over half a million people will die."

"I don't want to believe it, and I won't," Nick said stubbornly. I raised my eyebrow. I was too tired to do much more arguing.

"Believe it or not. I'll go home eventually and take the craziness with me.... as soon as someone figures out how to get me back." No one spoke. I nodded my head slowly. It was nothing more than I expected, but it was still crushing. I really wanted to go back to the time that made sense!

"While we're figuring things out, you should travel with us," Hilltop said. "You can hide with the elephants while we go down to the villages to get food."

"Or, we can alternate," I said. "I go down, get some food -"

"No," Mya said. She didn't sound angry anymore, but neither did she sound friendly. "Everyone will look at you because of your clothes and burned hair. Just stay with the elephants."

I felt like I was being brushed off as unimportant. I wanted to argue, but if I got on these people's bad side I wouldn't have any help in this strange time.

"Fine, where are the elephants anyways?" I was truly curious. Not even that raging bull was enough to scare me of my favorite animal.

"Just a few hundred yard this way." Nick said with a smile. He seemed much friendlier than Mya, but it was very hesitant. I guess I would have to earn their trust. After fighting our way through the dense underbrush we came to an area that had been trampled down. I saw a smaller but undeniably beautiful elephant hobbled to the left.

"That must be Miss. Pretty. She certainly lives up to her name!" I laughed excitedly.

"That she does." Mya said while staring happily at her elephant.

"That's right, isn't she practically your elephant?" I asked with curiosity. Her smile immediately disappeared.

"Girls are not allowed to be Mahouts." She said with a weary tone, like it had been pounded into her.

"I think you should be able to. You are much better than most of the men." I said with conviction.

"What would you know?! Oh wait, you're from the future and you've read our book. You must know everything!" She turned away from me angrily. Before the argument could get any more heated, Nick tapped my shoulder and pointed me in the direction of the other elephant.

"That's Hannibal. He's my father's elephant. Isn't he huge?" I wanted to answer, but I was frozen. The elephant, Hannibal, looked exactly like the elephant that had caused all this trouble. The elephant that had tried to kill me.

"Okay, really bad sense of déjà vu!" I squeaked, taking a step back. I still loved elephants, but I was terrified of this one! I mean, for crying out loud, he nearly killed me!

"Sarae? What's wrong?" he asked. I took a deep breath.

"That's the elephant that knocked the tree over and set off the mine!"

Nick nodded slowly, gazing at Hannibal curiously. There was no fear at all in his eyes. "I actually believe that," he said. "Hannibal is a really dangerous elephant. You can't go too fast with him or jump in surprise or anything. He'll attack you instantly. And," Nick added, "He hates anything that looks like a tiger. Pelt, something with stripes. You name it and it looks close enough, he'll hate it."

"Because of the one who got him," I said before he could explain why. Nick nodded.

"Yeah. Don't feel too bad, he scared me to, when he knocked -"

"Knocked his tusks into your ribs and sent you flying in the village. I know." As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how that must have sounded to someone who didn't believe me. But Nick just gave me a wry smile.

"Right. You would know." He didn't imply because of the book like Mya did. He seemed like a generally great guy.

"Hope Mya can become a mahout soon," I murmured. Nick nodded, and then stopped.

"Wait, don't you already know if she did?" he asked. I grimaced sheepishly at him.

"Um, about that? I never finished the book," I said, raising a hand to the back of my head awkwardly. Nick glanced at me.

"So you don't know if one of us will die?" he asked skeptically. I shook my head.

"I've got no idea," I said grimly. Nick shook his head too.

"Now do you see why it's hard to believe you?" he said. I nodded, thinking. There had to be something to prove that I was right! There had to be something....

"What's tomorrow's date?" I asked, not sure if it was the same date just a different year from my time. Nick gave me an odd look.

"Tomorrow will be August first, 1943. Why?" he asked. I gave him a not very happy or nice smile.

"Because tomorrow, the Japanese will say something to the public. Tomorrow, go down with Hilltop and Mya to a village to get more supplies, and you'll hear what's going on. Be careful though," I said a little worriedly. "The Japanese soldiers will be there to make sure the crowd doesn't go out of control when they hear about how Burma is now the State of Burma."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Everything was a whirl of confusion, and I let them just wonder about what was going to happen for now. I would explain to them tomorrow that it was all a ploy by the Japanese to get Burma's support. If I remembered correctly this was around the time that Japan realized it was losing the war. I went to sleep fast that night. With only a few hours until dawn I tried to recharge my battered body as much as possible before we had to move on again.

My dreams were plagued by nightmares. In one Haru and James were killed by the mine. In another the world was just a desolate plane filled with radiation and death. When Hilltop finally woke me up in the morning, I felt even worse than when I went to bed.

"Sarae, I want you to ride Miss Pretty and take her and Hannibal up to the center of the island. Stay there until we get back. It may be all day because we have to ford the river and walk a few miles to get to Rangoon. We will keep our ears open for news as you suggested." Hilltop explained how to get to the center of the island and with strength that surprised me, considering his age; he helped me onto Miss Pretty's back.

"Hannibal should follow you. Now be safe and don't follow us. Promise me." He looked me in the eye and wouldn't let me look away until I promised.

"I promise Hilltop." He smiled and walked away with Nick and Mya. I started walking with Miss Pretty, and looked down at my crossed fingers. I really didn't like lying, especially to Hilltop, but this was a necessary evil.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I _did_ lead the elephants to the center of the island. No need to draw attention to myself. After leaving Miss Pretty and Hannibal, I ran to the closest edge of the island. I'm an okay swimmer, good enough that I could get across the river pretty fast. I was just grateful that it wasn't as high or fast as it could be, or I'd be in real trouble. If it was that bad, I'd get swept away by the river.

It took me less than five minutes to get across the river and find Nick's, Mya's, and Hilltop's tracks. I followed at them at a slower sprint, being careful to keep the tracks in sight but staying on patches of ground where I couldn't leave my own footprints. It became harder as the ground became swampier, but I managed.

Pretty soon, I was on the very outskirts of the village. I shimmied up a tree and looked out into the main square of the village. I had to admit, I had the perfect view. Hilltop, Mya, and Nick stood in the empty square, behind a house. Mya had a huge bowl of rice, and Nick a huge bag, most likely filled with food. The villagers must have given it to them, since Hilltop would never steal or let Nick and Mya steal, but I didn't see any other people than my three companions.

Seconds after I noticed Hilltop and his "novices", I heard a jeep screech. I snapped my head towards the noise and watched as a jeep with tiger skins stretched over the chairs came into the square. A Japanese captain leapt out of the jeep as it stopped. He looked around the village, and I didn't have to be so far away to know he had his eyes narrowed in anger.

"VILLAGERS!" he shouted. "GET OUT HERE!" Slowly, the villagers crept out of everywhere that anyone could hide. The captain narrowed his eyes when an old man got too close. He raised the baton he was holding and hit the old man across the cheek. The old man fell to the ground, clutching his face. I ground my teeth together so hard that it hurt. There was no doubt in my mind; it had to be Captain Moto, the arrogant jerk from the book. I just wished I could use a stronger word for him.

"TODAY IS A GREAT DAY FOR YOU, THE BURMESE!" Captain Moto continued to roar. It made it easy enough for me to hear what he was saying. Though why he needed to scream, I didn't know. "TODAY, YOU HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY FREED FROM THE ENGLISH!" There was some timid cheering from the villagers. They had wanted for years to be free from the English. But I knew the catch. Hilltop, Mya, and Nick didn't cheer either. Even if they hadn't known that there was a catch, they wouldn't have cheered. They already knew how the Japanese treated the Burmese.

"TODAY, YOU HAVE BECOME THE STATE OF BURMA, PART OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE!" Captain Moto screamed.

There was dead silence for about two seconds. Then the villagers started shouting out in their rage. This was never what they had wanted. They had wanted the Japanese to come and free Burma from the United Kingdom or England or whatever it was called then, not turn them into part of their empire. I watched as Captain Moto's face broke into a cold grin. He was enjoying this, the sick jerk.

I noticed that Mya's face had gone white, Hilltop was shaking his head with an actually angry look to his eyes, and Nick's face betrayed his disgust for Captain Moto and what was happening. A man seemed to pop up out of nowhere. He crept up behind Hilltop, tapping him on the shoulder. Hilltop turned around, and began talking to him. I wondered if that was Kya Lei, the notorious thief and rebel against the Japanese.

I climbed down from my tree. I had seen enough. Quickly, I went back along the way I had come.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

When Mya, Nick, and Hilltop finally stumbled into the camp around mid afternoon, they found me sitting innocently under a tree fiddling with a rock I had found on the ground. Since they didn't look suspicious, I gathered that I had gotten away with breaking my promise to Hilltop. I was congratulating myself on my genius, but the mood was quickly killed by the dejected looks on their faces. Nick set down the food sack with a thump and passed me what looked to be an army ration bar. I munched on it while he talked.

"Sarae, I think I'm finally starting to believe you. I mean, how else would you have known what was about to happen?" He sighed heavily and started to eat a bar of his own. Mya and Hilltop were both eating apples after refusing the cardboard like food we were eating.

"Don't believe what they say for a second. They may say you will have control of your government, but really their control over Burma will be ten times worse than the English's." I interjected quickly.

"I know. I just wish the Burmese could get a break for once. My dad would know what to do. But he is stuck in at Hawk's Nest in a new labor camp made by the Japanese. Well, actually it is the Burmese that build it, not that they had a choice in the mater. I don't even know if he is alive!" He said the last part with so much sadness it made my heart heavy. Hilltop quickly spoke up, seeing the boy's distress.

"Kya Lei approached me today. He needs to get into the camp as well, so he has offered to help us. Tonight the village is having its market day. We can use the confusion to cover our entrance and ask the mahouts about your dad. We may even be able to see him if we are lucky. Sarae, I must ask you to stay behind again. I'm sorry for constantly leaving you alone, but it is just too dangerous. While we are there I will ask a witch woman I know of that travels with a group of peddlers if she knows of a way to help you back to your time. For now, though, we must try to get as much sleep as possible. We leave at dusk." With that we all made ourselves as comfortable as one can on the ground, and promptly fell asleep.

It wasn't a nice sleep like I had hoped, though. My dreams were plagued by nightmarish images of death and destruction - again. Was it impossible for me to get a few decent hours of sleep? It seemed that the world was coming to an end, and I watched over and over as my loved ones were killed right before my eyes. I was happy when Hilltop woke me to tell me that they were leaving. After they had been gone for a time, I got up and began pacing the camp site. Fear of my dreams kept me from going back to sleep.

Strange noises ripped the silence and scared me out of my wits. I heard cawing and a bush behind me rustled. Miss Pretty rumbled out her displeasure before turning back to her browsing.

"Yeah, I am being a baby aren't I Miss Pretty?!" I laughed nervously to myself. The bush rustled again, but I ignored it. Big mistake. Before I knew what was happening, I heard the click of the safety being taken off a gun. I spun around so fast I made myself dizzy, but when my vision cleared I saw a face I feared grinning lazily at me.

Captain Moto was holding a hand gun pointed directly at me, a really_ big_ gun I might add, the kind hunters use.I put my hands in the air with a squeak, and waited for the inevitable end. But the Captain just smirked and began to talk.

"Little pet, I have some questions for you." I tried not to tremble; a good soldier doesn't tremble in the face a gun. It was hard though; he looked like a hunter chasing its prey. And lucky me, I appeared to have prey written across my forehead in big bold letters.

"I've been watching this camp for the past thirty minutes. I know you are traveling with the monk and his 'novices'." Oh junk, he knew that Mya and Nick weren't really novices. My eyes widened in shock and dread. But to my surprise Captain Moto just laughed.

"Whatever doubt I had as to their identity has now disappeared due to the look on your face. You should be more careful pet; you give away more with your eyes than your words. Now, since I have had my suspicions confirmed, my mind wanders to two missing prisoners from Hawk's Nest by the names of Nick Freestone and Mya. I'm beginning to think that our wise old Hilltop has been harboring them all this time. Isn't that right my pet?" I wouldn't give away anything this time. He would have to torture what he wanted from me.

"What, cat got you tongue? I'll kill that cat for you. I've certainly had enough practice with the local tigers. I think I'm almost to twenty now. The vest I'm wearing right now is made from my latest kill's pelt. I skinned him myself, just like I will skin you if you don't start giving me some answers!" Spittle was flying from his mouth and his eyes gleamed manically. I had to roll my eyes at that, and whatever hold he had on me was broken. Arrogant bigot! His eyes narrowed when he saw mine roll, and he took a step closer to me and took aim at my knee. If he blew out my knee I would never be able to walk properly ever again. Just before he pulled the trigger, I saw a huge gray blur and the captain went flying into the air. He hit a tree with a crunch and slid down the trunk, unconscious. It was Hannibal! My charming prince in shining armor had come charging in, sort of.

The enraged bull elephant charged the captain, and I thought for sure he would be crushed. But Hannibal's tusks slid harmlessly through the hole in the vest, tearing it right of Captain Moto's back. With the vest hanging from his tusk like a dead animal, Hannibal charged into the forest dragging the vest against every tree he passed. Soon, he was gone from sight.

I was confused as to why Hannibal had gone for the vest when I remembered how much he _hated_ tigers. When he was a younger elephant, he had been gentle and trustworthy. One night though, after his mahout had hobbled him with the rest of the elephants, he had wandered off. Later that night, miles from any help, he was attacked by a tiger. He couldn't defend himself properly because his feet had been tied together. He barely survived and was left with horrible scars. After that, he turned into the temperamental dangerous animal he is today. He wouldn't let anyone near his feet and whenever he saw something that even reminded him of a tiger, he attacked it. While reading that part of the book I had cried for the poor elephant.

At least some good had come out of the situation; now I had an unconscious captain that no doubt new about Nick's dad. I ran over to his prone form and quickly searched him for weapons. After about five minutes I had an impressive pile of knives, guns, grenades, and even a whip. I shuddered to think what it was used for. I took said whip and used it to hog tie Captain Moto. He was going nowhere trussed up like that.

"Well my dear Captain Moto," I said with satisfaction, wiping my hands off on my pajama bottoms, "When you wake up I have some questions of my own for you. And I also have a _very_ pissed off boy that will do _anything_ to get his father back. But one more thing…" I tore off a section of my shirt. I ended up having to hitch up my pants to cover the section of my stomach that was bared as a result. I would hate for his yelling to attract unwanted attention… I wadded the cloth into a ball and jammed it into Captain Moto's mouth with a deep sense of satisfaction. Father would be proud!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Hilltop, Mya, and Nick were surprised - to say the least - when they found me sitting on a now squirming Captain Moto in an attempt to keep him from wriggling away.

"What is this?" Hilltop exclaimed. Mya ran over to check the bonds, in the process nearly knocking me on my butt. After a second she looked up at me in surprise.

"Where did you learn to make knots like this?! This is similar to the type of knot we use to tie up elephants!"

"I'm part of the Burmese army back home," I said, shrugging. 'We learn how to make knots like this so we could tie up our prisoners if the need arose. It's rather effective."Nick shot up and stared at me.

"But you're fifteen," he said in confusion. "I don't remember the army letting in people as young as us since, well, a very long time ago." I grimaced, remembering all my father's speeches about the new recruiting age.

"The age has been changed through necessity; you can join the army when you're fourteen years old. You might not be sent out until you're seventeen, but you can join at age fourteen. I've been training for a year now," I said. I wasn't sure if I agreed with my dad about the recruiting age being wrong. I loved being in the army, serving my country and making Father proud. On the other hand, many soldiers had died before they even got a chance to grow up.

"How can a boy prepare himself to die when he hasn't yet had a chance to live?" Hilltop said sagely. I just shrugged, grimacing uncomfortably.

"That's just the way things are. You can't change them any more than you can change the past."

"But you being here.... doesn't that change things?" Mya asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing dramatic has changed, so far as I can tell. What happened yesterday didn't change, nor did anything else as far as I can tell." I glanced down at Captain Moto. He glared at me, his eyes blazing. "Well, one thing so far _is_ different."

"What?" Hilltop asked. I gave him a small, wicked smile.

"Captain Moto the 'fearless' was just hog-tied by a fifteen year old army recruit from the future."

"That is one thing," Hilltop agreed, smiling. I felt my mouth spread into a grin, before I let my face become serious again.

"Moto! Do you know where in the Labor Camp Nick's father, Jackson Freestone, is being held captive?" I barked at Captain Moto. I knelt before him, and took the gag out of his mouth. He immediately bit my hand. I swore colorfully and smacked him. He glared at me, a red mark appearing under his left eye.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" he hissed. Nick, whose head had shot up at the mention of his father, stalked forward angrily and sank down to Captain Moto's level.

"You'll tell us," he whispered in a scarily calm voice. "Or we'll call for Hannibal and burry you under a few of your precious tiger skins. Let's see if he'll let you live a second time." I had never seen Nick like this; it scared me. I know threatening people is the most sure fire way of getting people like Moto to do what you want, besides money and power of course, but Nick sounded like he'd actually _do_ it.

"Or," Mya said, looking at me. Her eyes showed her worry. She'd notice the same thing as I had in Nick. Hilltop was shifting nervously, not liking what was going on and avoiding Nick's eyes. "Or," Mya said again. "We could just dump you in the river. I hear the piranhas are swarming in this area, growing bigger and more flesh-hungry on the dead bodies you've been dumping in the water. Whereas Hannibal would make it quick, the piranhas bite and dart away. And there are other creatures lured by the smell of blood. It would be the death of a thousand little bites"

I almost snorted, which would have given her ploy away. There were no Piranhas here! But as I watched the Captain sweat - and not figuratively either - I realized he didn't know that. The piranha is native to the rivers of South America, and doesn't normally attack live humans anyways, but their reputation was clearly putting a little respect into the Captain.

"Yeah, one bit me a week ago when I went swimming. See? Nasty bite, those piranhas have," I said, gesturing to a row of deep scratches on my leg I had gotten a week ago. I had been swimming, that was true, but I slashed my leg on a rather pointy rock. James had teased me about being bitten by a fish that thought I was tasty. I was using what he said to my advantage now.

Captain Moto's eyes bulged, and his breathing became shallow. But he still had the nerve (or courage, but it wasn't helping us so I won't say that) to say, "I won't tell you!"

"Fine," Mya said, shrugging. She motioned for me to begin dragging him to the edge of the island.

"Nick, give Sarae a hand lifting Moto here, please." Nick grinned, catching on to what we were doing. Captain Moto was worth more alive than dead, what with all he knew. I think he realized that, but Nick's grin was _vicious_, and probably looked deadly from Captain Moto's point of view. We picked him up and carried him down to the river bed.

"All together now! One.... two...." Nick said.

"All right all right, I will tell you!" Captain Moto cried out. His eyes were incredibly wide and his face was clammy and slightly green.

"The camp is a day's travel north! Don't throw me in river! I beg you, do not! What do you want; I'll give you money and freedom from capture, anything!"

"I want my father." Nick said dangerously. When everything boiled down, Captain Moto was really just a pathetic man that tried to prove to himself that he was important by terrorizing other living things. It was disgusting. We dropped him on the ground and sat down.

"A day's travel," Nick breathed. "So close!"

"Hilltop!" I called. "What are we going to do with Captain Moto?" Hilltop put a hand to his mouth and pursed his lips.

"We'll have to take him," he said finally. "We have no choice."

"This is going to be fun," Mya said under her breath, grabbing Captain Moto and hauling him back to our campsite and the elephants.

"Why doesn't someone just kill me now before we have to go through this torture?" Nick sighed.

"Here," I said, shoving the gag back into Captain Moto's mouth. "Problem solved."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

The ride up to the labor camp was fairly quiet, except for our dear Captain; he wouldn't stop _trying_ to scream. It was starting to give me a headache. I was aching to hit him again, but doubted that Hilltop would let me do anything like that. That old monk is too nice for his own good, I thought with fondness.

"Oh, shut up!" Nick roared. Terrified, Moto finally fell silent.

"Thanks Nick," Mya said, relieved. The look she threw him.... well, it made me blurt out the first thing on the top of my head. I had a habit of doing that and, more often than not, it got me into trouble.

"You guys should be a couple," I cried out. I clamped my mouth shut as soon as the words left my mouth. Mya and Nick stared at me as if I had spoken in a different language that they didn't understand.

"What?" they said in unison, startled. I couldn't help but laugh.

"You know.... become a couple," I said again. Nick's eyes got even wider, and Mya blushed to where the roots of her hair would be. I wish I could have seen her hair before she had to shave it off for her disguise. The book said it was beautiful.

"I.... he..... don't.....," Mya spluttered incoherently. Nick wasn't doing much better. At least he formed part of a sentence.

"I don't think..... I mean, I never thought of her....." he tried, blushing a nice color of russet under his tan. I leaned over across Miss Pretty to Hannibal and whispered,

"Nick, I read the dang book; I know you're lying." I leaned back with a smile as he went even redder. "Just think about it." I winked at him as Nick turned to look at Mya. When he looked over into her confused eyes I think he nearly toppled of Hannibal's back. It would have been a very long fall too. I smiled to myself. I probably should have waited to say something, but being a girl who will get a whim and carry it out, I didn't. I didn't really feel bad either; I love making people blush.

It took another few hours, but we eventually saw the camp. We parked the elephants deep in a dense stand of trees and Nick, Mya, and I climbed off.

"I want to go see the camp," Nick said immediately.

"I'll go with you," Mya said.

"Me too," I piped up. Hilltop shook his head and sighed.

'I wish I could make you all staying here, but I can't. I have to go meet with a friend," he said.

"If it's who I think it is, give him this," Nick said, and handed Hilltop a folded piece of paper. It was thin, and looked like it had been torn out of a book. Hilltop nodded.

"I will. Now go! And don't get caught!" We wasted no time in taking off. Silently we ran through the forest, keeping our eyes trained on the large labor camp. It was a huge thing, with turrets and guards posted at regular intervals. And as if one fence wasn't enough, some areas of the camp were surrounded by three fences, all topped with barbed wire. A terrible smell wafted from the place that I identified as human refuse and death.

Together, we ran through the cover of the forest. We found a large tree, and climbed it easily. I sat in between Mya and Nick on the biggest branch that would hold all of us and give us coverage without breaking under our weight. From this angle we could see the towers looming over the labor camp, guards milling around buildings, and guards patrolling the stone wall. I could see that the camp was virtually empty. Most of the prisoners must have been working. I could see a bamboo barrack on the right side, with a red cross painted on the thatched roof. I knew from my training that that was the hospital, if you could really call that thing a place to get better. For the laborers it was the place they went to die.

"They hold prisoners of war here too," Nick whispered to me. I nodded. I already had an idea that might have been the case.

"From the looks of it, the other camp with the mahouts is not nearly as bad," Mya whispered. I looked at her, and just caught her wiping away a tear.

"Is that where your brother is?" I whispered. She nodded.

"Indaw told me 'If anything happens, just get out of here.' I'm probably not going to listen though...."

"Quiet!" Nick said sternly. I could hear them calling out numbers, the way they identified the prisoners. When their number was called, the prisoners would call out, "Here" Sometimes, an officer or doctor would shout out, "Dead!" Some of the people looked like they were about to keel over. Open sores oozed puss and gaunt, hungry faces stared emptily around.

"There he is!" Nick said suddenly. I whipped my head around to where Nick was pointing and saw Sergeant Sonji. He looked like a kind man, despite the fact he was the enemy. Three prisoners were with him. They looked like they were on burial duty. As I watched the sergeant started to help them bury the piles of men in the cart they were lugging around. I felt my heart constrict, seeing all those dead. At least he was helping those poor souls; most would just laugh at their feeble efforts to dig through the tough soil. Burial duty was a job for those who would be joining the ranks of the dead soon themselves. It was considered an _easy_ job by the Japanese.

"There's my father," Nick said, pointing to a tall man with big black boots and thick black hair, the color Nick's would be if he wasn't bald. He was working faster than the other two prisoners, and even though Sonji yelled at him a lot, I could tell he liked Jackson.

"Nick! Sarae! A guard is looking our way!" Mya hissed at us. I instinctively froze, trying not to move, to make myself as invisible as possible. I felt Nick do the same, and saw Mya scrunch down slightly. After a few seconds (though it felt like hours) Mya said, "He's gone." I relaxed and started to shimmy down the tree.

"What are you doing?" Nick asked.

"It's way too dangerous! We have to go before we're caught!" I said.

"She's got a point," Mya said, and climbed down after me. Nick sighed and reluctantly followed us down the tree. It took us maybe thirty seconds to climb down and start running stealthily back to the elephants.

As I was running with Mya next to me and Nick ahead, a question stirred in my mind. One I really needed answered for when I got back home.

"Mya?" I asked hesitantly. She looked at me through the corner of her eye, but didn't break pace.

"Yes?" she replied. I slowed down a little bit, and she slowed down with me.

"How badly did the English treat the Burmese?" I asked. "In my time, it's a little sketchy...."

Mya was quiet for a little while, long enough that I thought that maybe she wasn't going to answer. Finally, she spoke.

"It was pretty bad. They came and took our jobs, our money, our family and friends, even our freedom. Things have been getting better, but still.... times have been hard. A lot of people were desperate for a savior, anyone. When the Japanese came, well, nobody examined them too closely. They promised us freedom, and people blinded by their false hope. They ignored the Japanese's evil, even when examples of it happened right in front of them." She made a disgusted face. "And look where that got us!"

"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I just needed to know."

I thought back to the troubling dilemma in my own time. It seemed that no matter which country we allied ourselves with, no good would come from it. Burma was going to stay neutral. We had to if we wanted to stay free.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Hilltop didn't get back until late. He entered the camp and sat down silently. We didn't dare light a fire; the glow of the flames would be seen for miles around. I was grateful for the food the villagers had given us at least. No one had to go out and hunt or gather any.

"Everything is ready," Hilltop broke the solemn silence. We all looked up eagerly as he leaned forward to talk. "We will go rescue your father tomorrow."

"And Indaw!" Mya interjected. "I don't care if he told me not to. I can't leave him in the wretched place, especially since he would rescue me if our situations were reversed."

"Who did you meet today?" I asked. Hilltop raised an eyebrow.

"I think you know," he said.

"Was it Sergeant Sonji? I didn't read this far in the book." I guessed. Hilltop gave me a 'no duh' look.

"Go to sleep, Sarae." I rolled my eyes and lay down on my bed of leaves, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the crook of my arm. Man, I had no idea I was so tired! For once since I had come here, I didn't have nightmares. I didn't dream at all actually. I was at peace, and I could actually feel myself recharging.

I woke up to Nick shaking me awake.

"Sarae!" he whispered. "Wake up!" I was painfully reminded of James waking me up in a similar fashion to go see the elephants. I shoved the thought away; I'd get back home soon enough and would find him and Haru unharmed and safe.

"What?" I asked. Nick hesitated, so I said, "Nick, spit it out!"

"I saw Kya Lei!" he blurted out. I jumped up from my bed.

"What?" I exclaimed. Nick nodded.

"Mya and I saw him a while ago. Hold told us about the labor camp. And he told us to forget about freeing Indaw and my father. He said it was hopeless."

"I know for a fact that we can free both of them," I said sternly. "Don't for a minute believe what he said! Kya Lei doesn't know a thing he's talking about!" Nick gave me a relieved smile.

"I knew you would react like that. I just needed some reassurance. I'm scared for him, Sarae." he sighed. He walked over to Miss Pretty and looked around for something to brush her with. He paused when he saw me staring at him. "I don't think I can sleep anymore. I'll just take care of Hannibal and Miss Pretty; it will keep me distracted."

"I'll get more water," I said, and grabbed a flask as I walked away.

I found a clear stream pretty fast. Gently, I dipped the flask into the water. It was rushing pretty fast, and I didn't want to lose it. I filled it and walked through the trees, getting back to the camp. By the time I got back everyone was awake.

"We must go," Hilltop said. He started walking briskly away. I put away the flask and rushed after him.

"Are we going to rescue my father?" Nick asked. Hilltop didn't say anything, just kept walking.

"Hilltop?" Mya asked. He shook his head and put a finger to his lips. I nodded and slipped after him silently. Hilltop led us for a ways before he scampered up a tree. The old man kept surprising me with his spry movements. I dashed up after him, Mya and Nick hot on my heels. By the time we made it to the top I was panting slightly. This spot let us see into the graveyard where the two men from yesterday and Sergeant Sonji were burying the dead. There were only two men today, one barefoot and one with boots. Where was Nick's father? Had he gotten better and been sent out to work in the forest, or…or…The other possibility was unthinkable.

"Him first!" Sonji said, pointing at a corpse. He took two bamboo crosses out of the cart and walked over to a blank patch of thick muddy dirt. "Bury here," he said, dropping a cross where he wanted the body buried. "Speedo! Quick! Major Riku say we taking too long to bury dead." He dropped the second cross about fifty feet away from the first. It was evident English wasn't his first language, but he managed well enough to order the two prisoners.

The men started digging, but without Nick's father, they were much, much slower, even with Sonji berating them. I kept thinking Hilltop would tell us to get down and head back to camp any second, but he didn't. Obviously Nick's father wasn't here. I wondered what the old monk was up to.

"Deep enough!" Sonji said.

The men climbed out of the shallow hole, their faces expressionless and followed Sonji back to the cart that held the dead men. The man's face became visible as they lifted him out. Nick moaned next to me, and I let out a gasp. It was Nick's father.

Tears pooled in my eyes. I couldn't imagine how hard this was for Nick; I had never met his father, but I knew it would hurt beyond measure if I lost my own father. My mind had gone blank. Why had Hilltop brought him here? To let us pay our last respects to Jackson Freestone? I didn't understand the monk, and I didn't think I wanted to. Maybe that's what Kya Lei had meant by it was pointless.....

They lowered Nick's father into the hole. Without looking at him, I put my arms around Nick. He clutched my arms as if they were a lifeline. I felt tears hit my arms repeatedly, but I didn't look. That wasn't for me to see.

The men buried Jackson quickly. "Go!" Sonji said to the other men. "I cover this one! Go dig next hole!" Sonji checked quickly on the prisoners, before he got down on his knees and put the bamboo cross over the grave, so gently that I think he would have gotten into trouble if anyone saw him. His lips moved, as if in a blessing, but I couldn't hear the words. Then he began to scoop the dirt into the grave. When he was done, he moved away to help the other men with the last corpse. They finished it rapidly, and were off. This dead man didn't get a blessing.

"We have to go see him now," Hilltop said, climbing down.

"I've seen enough," Nick whispered, letting go of my arms. I withdrew from him and climbed down too.

"No, we have to. Come." I wondered then if Hilltop had gone insane, but I followed him anyway. I really thought he was insane when he handed me a shovel and said, "Dig."

"Hilltop, you've gone insane," I said, but began to dig.

"I am not insane. Jackson Freestone is breathing through the bamboo cross." I couldn't believe my ears. When I got what he was saying, I grinned.

"You're a wickedly, crafty old monk, aren't you?" I grinned.

"What?" Nick asked in disbelief. Mya had gotten it too, and had grabbed a shovel to help me.

"He's alive," I said. "We just have to get him out!" And we did; Jackson Freestone was alive and breathing. He looked like he could be dead though. He was emaciated and had a sickly pallor to his skin. Large bruises covered his body. Nick's father opened his eyes as soon as we shoveled the dirt off him, and they had a rebellious spark in them that I saw so often in his son.

"Thank you!" he said, stretching. We helped him as he painfully got out of his 'grave', and both Father and son embraced, Nick looking like God himself had appeared before him. Jackson looked at me then. His eyebrows pulled together in the middle.

"Who's this?" he asked blankly.

"This is Sarae," Mya said. "She fell _through_ a like around World War III and ended up here. She's from the future," She turned to me and gave me a critical once over. "Which I still don't believe."

"Hey, so long as you trust me," I replied. She smiled.

"I do."

"Good."Nick's father still looked confused, but he shrugged,

"You can tell me on the way when we pick up Indaw. Now let's get out of here!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

We had planned on leaving Jackson at the campsite with the elephants, but despite his poor condition he insisted on coming. After some whispered arguments we agreed to allow him to wait in the edge of the forest for us to come back. Nick volunteered to stay with him and Hilltop took the still bound and gagged Captain Moto, saying he would meet up with them when he was finished 'putting out the trash'. I wondered for a minute what he would do with Moto, but decided not to ask. That left Mya and I to rescue Indaw at the Mahout village. We were like a super hero team swooping in to the rescue. I'm going to need to think of some good theme music.

My internal musings were interrupted by the dull roar of the village. The villagers were bustling around preparing food and repairing damage, trying to keep the place running despite the Japanese occupation. They tried to go act like it was a normal day, a day where family members and friends weren't dead and rotting, a day when soldiers weren't loitering around harassing girls and beating boys. But their efforts were futile. We snuck along in the shadows of the huts. If we were seen by the soldiers we were toast. I followed behind Mya as she ducked in and out of alleys and secret passages. She knew where she was going; she had grown up here. When we finally stepped into the sunlight it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the scene before me. A long row of over twenty elephants were staked to the ground. It was still early in the morning, so they hadn't gone off to work on the airfield the Japanese were having them build yet. Well, more like rebuild. The first was blown up by an explosion earlier in the book as I recalled. Mya motioned me forward and began whispering in my ear.

"The mahouts are being kept under guard, but there is a trapdoor underneath Indaw's 'house'. We can get in through there and sneak him out."

"Why hasn't he gotten out before?" I asked.

"He originally stayed because he didn't want me to be hurt. Once I escaped he stayed because of Nick's father. Indaw doesn't know that we got him out already. Once we tell him he'll come with us."

"Okay," I responded. After some very near misses with some of the guards we were able to wriggle our way under the house. Once we got in, we discovered that part of the hollowed out section under the house had caved in. There was barely enough room for us to squeeze through. Unfortunately, Indaw would be much too big to fit through.

"We're going to have to run for it." I whispered. Mya just looked ahead grimly as she fumbled with the handle on the trap door. She slowly lifted it up, just enough to see inside. Once she saw that the coast was clear, she quietly climbed into the house, motioning for me to follow. By the time I got into the house, Mya had already woken her brother up. They sat together on his cot, hugging and shedding silent tears.

"I missed you," She whispered.

"I was afraid you were dead. I told you not to come back for me." He replied.

"Since when have I ever listened to you?" She smiled. I felt like I was intruding on something private, and respectfully diverted my eyes. Soon, though, they broke apart and Mya turned to face us both.

"We can't go through the trap door. The passage collapsed and we could barley fit through. If we want even a chance to get away, we are going to have to make a run for it. The guards won't be making a pass by this house for a bit though, so we should leave in the next few minutes or risk losing our window. This is Sarae by the way. She's from the future." she in a matter of fact manner. Indaw looked confused, but quickly accepted what his sister said. After Indaw had packed his essentials we cautiously crept out the door. With no guard in site we crept from house to house, zigzagging through the street as stealthily as possible. When we made it to the edge of the forest we collectively sighed with relief. We had made it. Somehow we had managed to break out two prisoners in one day without any mishaps. We marched victoriously back to our rendezvous with the rest of the group, smiles on our faces.

Later that night everyone was sitting in a circle, talking and laughing. Introductions were being completed and plans for the future were being finalized. Nick and Hilltop were still the only ones that actually believed I was from the future, but that was okay. I had hopes of returning home soon. Even the elephants seemed content. They had become friends over the time they had been together. Hopefully the two animals would be able to stay with each other. I was just about to get a drink of water when an army jeep snarled into our campsite. Four guns were immediately trained on to our chest. When my surprise cleared I saw Captain Moto, Major Riku, and two mean looking soldiers grinning evilly. We all put our hands in the air. Even though we outnumbered them, we had no usable weapons. Major Riku climbed regally out of the vehicle and began to speak to us in his cultured, but tough, voice.

"Surprised to see us? You thought you had gotten away, didn't you. But we have been monitoring this camp ever since this morning when one of my scouts spotted you, Mr. Freestone, and your son walking her. I must say that I'm quite surprised that you got the Mahout out as well, especially after I collapsed the passage under your house." Mya looked shocked at this, and silent tears began to fall down her normally tough face. We had gotten so far, and now it was all for nothing. Most of our group would be killed, including me, and the rest would be sent to the labor camps.

"All of this was just a game. I wanted to see how far you would get. I'm curious though, how did you escape, Mr. Freestone? The compound you were in is much more secure than that of the mahouts." When no one answered him, he good cheer quickly turned to anger.

"I've also been wondering where my dear Captain Moto has been for the past few days. I was extremely angered when he turned up bound on the steps of Hawk's Nest. You will pay for that. I will have fun killing you, after Captain Moto is finished of course." Major Riku gave Captain Moto the go ahead, and the crazed captain leaped from the jeep. He landed a few yards from where we all huddled together. His hand slowly went to one of the many knife sheaths buckled around his waist, and drew forth a wicked blade more suited to butchering animals. I began to tremble when I realized that that is exactly what he planned to do, except with us.

"I want you to get into a line. I need to decide who to play with first. I'm leaning toward you though, pet." He glared maliciously at me, and when we didn't comply he clicked the safety off his gun.

"Do what I say or I'll shoot!" He growled when we still stood defiantly in our places. He fired the gun three times into the ground before our feet. Dirt flew everywhere and the sound almost deafened me. It ran throughout the jungle and brought with it a nasty jolt to my already racing heart. I was preparing myself to die when out of the trees charged Miss Pretty and Hannibal.

They had been happily browsing a few hundred feet away, but must have heard the gunshot. Either they wanted to get rid of the gun, or they were actually trying to protect us, but they thundered right up to the jeep. They flashed their tusks at the now terrified men, who had scrambled into the jeep for cover. More gunshots rang through the air, but none hit their mark. With an enraged rumble, Hannibal began to roll the jeep over. Miss Pretty quickly joined in. They shoved the jeep until it began to roll on its own down a steep incline not far away. After a few seconds the mangle car, with the men still in it, crashed into a huge boulder. The gas tank caught and exploded in a cloud of fire. Black smoke poured into the air and debris slowly fell back to earth. There was no sign of the men in the wrathful red and orange glow. They were dead. I sunk to my knees in a mixture of relief and horror. I wanted to laugh, I wanted to cry, and mostly, I wanted to sleep. My emotions swirled around me, but I held them in. My training kept me from letting the wave of emotions and exhaustion out. Good thing to, because the rest of the group was already packing up to leave. Soon, not a sign was left that we had been there. We shouldn't have stayed so long in the first place. The explosion would attract notice, so we left as soon as possible with Hilltop walking behind still trying to sooth the still agitated elephants.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Several days later, we had traveled all the way to the port where Nick and Mya were supposed to take off for Australia months ago. I wasn't the only one crying when Nick, Mya, and Jackson boarded the little fishing boat to take off. Mya grabbed me in a hug that I really didn't expect from her.

"Thank you," she whispered. It was awkward at first; this was not in Mya's character at all.

"For what?" I asked, my awkwardness showing through. Mya shook her head, where I could see black fuzz growing on her scalp and where her eyebrows would be. Her hair would be long and beautiful again in no time at all.

"For helping us," she said, taking a deep breath, tears streaming down her face. "Not many people would be willing to do that."

"I didn't have much of a choice," I said with a wry smile. Mya grinned.

"You could have still said something about us needing to take care of ourselves," she hiccupped. I gave her a final squeeze.

"I can't stay out of other people's business, even when it nearly gets me killed," I said. Mya smiled, and let go of me. Nick gave me a quick hug as well.

"Will we see you after the war is over?" he asked. I shook my head slowly.

"Nick... that won't be for another two years! By that point, I think I'll be back in my own time," I said mournfully. I wanted to go back so badly it hurt, but I'd miss these guys!

"So this is good by? For good?" he asked. I nodded.

"I think it is," I sighed. Nick pulled me in for another hug, a very tight might one I add, which I returned.

"Then goodbye, and good luck in your time," he whispered. I felt tears trickling down my face.

"Thanks. You too. And good luck with Mya." Nick's eyes shone with unshed tears as he let me go.

"I didn't get the chance to meet you properly," Jackson said. He stuck his hand out, and I shook it. "But I want to say thank you for helping my son."

"And my sister," Indaw added. I smiled and nodded, shaking hands with both of them.

"It was truly a pleasure," I said. Nick, Mya, Jackson, and Indaw climbed onto the boat.

"GOODBYE!" they shouted in chorus, waving. I waved back furiously, and kept waving until they disappeared over the horizon.

Still crying, I got back up on top of Miss Pretty. Hilltop sat astride Hannibal already, waiting for me. I kicked Miss Pretty behind the ears to get her to start moving, and then tapped her right ear to turn her around.

"Sarae, I think I know how to get you back," Hilltop said without warning. I looked at him, hope rising in my chest.

"You do?" I said. Hilltop nodded.

"I think if you go back _through_ the lake, you might be able to recreate the effect," he said. I felt a slow smile form on my face.

"It might," I agreed. Hilltop smiled as well, crinkling his wise old face into a series of new lines I had rarely seen.

"Then let us go," he said, kicking Hannibal into a trot.

It took us another three days to get back to the lake. It had now been almost two weeks since the mine exploded. Father must be so worried. The water was still, and looked deceptively innocent. I shivered, thinking hard. I really wanted to do this, to just try, but what if I just sat on the bottom waiting and ended up drowning?

"Hilltop?" I said to distract myself from my fear.

"Yes?" he answered. I looked at the blue water hard, forming an answer in my mind.

"I didn't understand when I first read the book you guys are in, what the author's purpose was for writing it," I said. Hilltop looked at me intently.

"And you do now?" he asked. I nodded.

"I think.... I think it was so people could understand your lives as you went through them here," I replied. "But I didn't get that until I _came_ here. Didn't get how truly hard and painful and beautiful it is. Now I know."

"Now you know," Hilltop agreed. I took a deep breath and slid off of Miss Pretty's leathery back.

"Well, here I go," I said, gingerly putting a toe into the water. Hilltop raised a hand in farewell.

"Goodbye Sarae," he said.

"Bye Hilltop." Before I could think twice about what I was doing, I dove headfirst under the surface.

I swam further and further down feeling the black water chill me to my bones, colder and colder the deeper I went. I began to panic; why wasn't it working?! As soon as the question bubbled up in my mind, I saw it: the bright light. I didn't fight the pull this time. Instead, I helped it; I dove straight into its embrace. The pull was strong, but so was I. I swam hard, straight through the sparkling stars and suns, past times and lives and universes. In that one second I saw all. I was in between the two times. I was frozen and burning, alive and dead. Nothing and everything surrounded me, and I was drowning in it. My head feel like it was going to split open, and I wondered through the pain if I was going to die here. But I passed right through, before darkness claimed me.

* * *

"Is she waking up?" someone whispered. I felt my eyelashes flutter open. It was too bright to see anything. I squeezed my eyes shut, before opening them again. I was dizzy and I felt heavy. Indistinct shapes gradually sharpened and sounds reached into my ears. James, Haru, and my father were crowded around my bed. I was dressed in a hospital gown, something to help me breath stuck in my nose, and an IV in my arm. I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't like hospitals all that much. The left side of my body ached and burned. I reached up to touch my face, and felt a bandage above my right eye. It seemed that the injuries from the mine explosion had finally caught up with me. I had a feeling that they were going to bite me in the butt some day. I shifted my hand to my hair. My fingers went through short little pieces, not the long strands that would normally hit the middle of my back.

"What happened?" I croaked. There was dead silence, and then the two boys leapt on me.

"Oh my God, Ray," James said. "Don't you ever scare me like that again! You were missing for almost two weeks!"

"Two weeks? Sounds about right" I murmured. My throat felt like it was on fire. That was how long I had been in the past. So it must have happened. At least, it did in my mind. Was I crazy? No, Nick, Mya, Hilltop and all the others are too real to not be, well, real.

"Yeah. We were afraid you were dead," Haru told me in Burmese. My father's eyes were filled with tears.

"You're going to have some sweet scars, honey," James said. "And I like the hair." I gave him a smile. That was like James, to try and play up how I looked good even though I didn't. I wondered if Nick would be like that, if he had seen me like this in the hospital.

I could see that Haru had a cast on his leg and was using a crutch to get around and James had a few nasty burns peeping out of his shirt collars.

"You guys okay?" I asked. The boys nodded.

"Yeah, you took the most of it," Haru said.

"Too busy protecting us," James said gruffly, messing up my short hair. It stuck straight up, before falling limply back against my head. A good shower would cure that...

"Are you truly all right?" Father asked. I looked directly into those eyes that were exactly like mine. I had to tell him - someday. But for now, I just needed to tell him about how Burma needed to stay neutral.

"Father, Burma needs to stay neutral," I said. Father stood up straight.

"Sarae, this isn't the time-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Father, this is more important than my injuries! The North Korea will just suck us into their country, making Burma just a distant memory and South Korea will just profit off of us! They will take and take until there is nothing left! We won't have freedom unless we stay out of it." I was sure about this. I would follow through in my decision, all the way to the president.

"Are you sure?" Father asked. I nodded.

"We should only use the army defensively. Don't harbor people from either country unless absolutely necessary. If there is any fighting here between the two sides, we'll come in to kick them out. They will be to busy fighting with each other to expend resources forcing an unwilling people to work with them." I said confidently. Haru and James grinned.

"You'll make a great general yet," Haru grinned. James laughed, and mused up my hair again. I stuck my tongue out at them, but I was happy.

I was back where I belonged.


	15. Chapter 15

**Epilogue: Five Years Later**

I stood before the lake once again on the one year anniversary of the end of WWIII. I was correct in my decision to stay neutral. The war had played its course, and many countries had been devastated. Burma, now one of the world's leading countries right up there with the United States, had been mostly undamaged. North Korea and South Korea had ended the war peacefully, and the demilitarized zone cutting between them had been dissolved. Conferences were already being arranged to discuss making the two countries into one: United Korea. I reached my hand out and grabbed my boyfriend James's hand. I had told them what happened, and my Father and James were the only ones who had truly believed me. I clutched the bottle with my lengthy letter to my friends tucked inside.

"James, I'm going to toss the letter in and hope it goes through. If it doesn't, well, I don't know what I'll do. I miss all of them so much."

"I hope this works Ray, I really do. I know how much they all mean to you. Maybe, if this works, you can send more letters back and forth." He replied.

"I hope so…" I stared into the still surface of the lake where it had all started so many years ago. Before I could think twice, I threw the bottle into the middle of the lake. It floated on the surface for a bit, and my heart sank. But then, suddenly, it disappeared from sight with a faint _plop_.

"It works!" I shouted joyously, and pulled James in for a tight and thankful hug.

Nick and Mya were holding hands walking around the fence of one of the horse enclosures. The day was hot and dry on the cattle ranch they had been living on after escaping the Japanese's attempt at taking over Burma.

"I wonder how Sarae's been doing back in her time."Nick commented out of the blue. Mya looked sadly at the horses frisking around, and answered.

"I guess we will never know. It has been five years. Her world could have been destroyed by, what are they called again?"She scrunched up her nose in though, her long glossy hair swishing back and forth in frustration.

"Nuclear weapons, sweetheart." Nick said cheekily. Mya swatted at him, but was distracted by commotion at one of the water troughs in the horse enclosure. Some of the horses were nervously circling the container, whickering softly with their ears back. Curious, Nick and Mya jogged over.

When they got there, they were surprised to see a bottle floating on the surface with a piece of paper in it. When they pulled it out, they discovered it was a letter from the last person they would have expected: Sarae.

_Dear beloved Friends,_

_I hope this letter reaches you. I threw it into the lake and wished with all my heart that it would reach you. I've missed you guys so much. Many times I have contemplated jumping back into the lake, but then I would have to leave all the people that I love in my world as well. If you write back then I will have proof that you really exist and my boyfriend will let me visit! Oh yeah, I have a boyfriend now, his name is James .I love the buffoon, and life is certainly interesting with him around. I'm sure you want to know what happened after I got back. Burma stayed neutral, and survived the war in one piece. Everything is peaceful, and the world is rebuilding. Surprisingly, no nuclear weapons were set of. How is life with you? If you two aren't together yet I will personally murder you! If this has indeed reached you, I assume that you can send it back the way it came. I will be camping around the lake for the next day in hopes that you will write back. Say high to everyone for me!_

_P.S James wanted me to tell you that if you write back he will come with me when I visit! I'm so excited, now you HAVE to write back!_

_With all the love in the world times ten,_

_Sarae_

Nick and Mya smiled at each other and ran to the house, screaming for a pen and paper from a very confused Indaw the whole way.


End file.
